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HomeKit Weekly: The ultimate HomeKit survival kit for dorm life

When I was in college, smart home technology was still something that was super futuristic. Today, that’s changed a lot. If I were starting college today, though, I’d bring a few HomeKit items to make dorm life more comfortable and functional. Between cramped desks, bad overhead lighting, and shared everything, a little automation can go a long way. Whether it’s turning off lights from bed or checking if your fan’s still running, here’s what I’d pack today if I were heading off to campus.
Expand Expanding CloseNew iOS app takes the mystery out of HomeKit troubleshooting

HomeKit, Apple’s smart home framework, is great most of the time, and awfully frustrating when things go wrong. This new iOS app wants to change that.
Expand Expanding CloseWhy Apple avoiding a big AI acquisition could signal good news

In the midst of Apple’s AI challenges, some have called on the company to dip into its enormous bank account and make a splashy AI acquisition. Here’s why the lack of acquisition could signal something important about Apple’s current AI progress.
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Facebook and Instagram may be down for some users
Meta is apparently experiencing some capacity of server issues today.
Expand Expanding CloseApple’s chip deal with Samsung is great news for future iPhones

One of the bullet points in Apple’s announcement of its increased US manufacturing spend made a big, but very non-specific, claim. Apple said that it was working with Samsung on an “innovative new technology which has never been used before anywhere in the world.”
Although the company was being mysterious, we likely know what that means – and it’s great news not just for the iPhone 18, but also for future iPhones beyond it …
Expand Expanding CloseAirDrop IRL: iPhone 16 Pro falls from plane and keeps filming [Video]

We all know the feeling we get after dropping our iPhone and immediately inspecting the glass for damage. Now imagine dropping your iPhone out of an airplane. That happened over the summer for conservationist Ashley Prange.
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Deals: iPad mini 7 $120 off from $379, black Magic Mouse, M4 iPad Pro, Mac mini, and more
Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is finishing the week off with the return of all-time low pricing across the latest iPad mini 7 lineup at $120 off with deals starting from $379 shipped. Those offers join the new all-time lows on the M3 iPad Air lineup at $150 off – the best price ever offered on Apple’s most affordable current-gen M series iPad – as well as $200 off the least pricey M4 iPad Pro, and a rare deal on the black USB-C Apple Magic Mouse. But with the massive Apple deal week event now live, there’s a whole lot more than that waiting down below.
Expand Expanding CloseiPhone 17 Pro Max: Three new upgrades that could be hard to resist

In just one month, Apple will unveil its full iPhone 17 lineup. The brand new Air model will get a lot of attention, but Apple also has big changes coming for iPhone 17 Pro Max. I’m tentatively planning to buy a 17 Air, but there are three Pro Max features in particular that could make Apple’s premium iPhone hard to resist.
Expand Expanding CloseThis is easily AirPods Max’s most bizarre, unique accessory yet

If you weren’t already planning to dress up as Girl with a Pearl Earring for Halloween, CASETiFY has a good reason to change your mind. A new accessory seeks to replicate the look from Johannes Vermeer’s classic painting using your AirPods Max. Yes, really.
Expand Expanding CloseApple releases new ‘Here’s to the Dreamers’ wallpaper for iPhone

There are few ad campaigns more memorable to longtime Apple followers than the “Think Different” series. And in coordination with an App Store feature story highlighting several modern day creative trailblazers, Apple has released a new iPhone wallpaper called “Here’s to the Dreamers.”
Expand Expanding ClosemacOS Tahoe put your apps in icon jail? Here’s the fix

Yesterday I highlighted macOS Tahoe’s aggressive behavior of putting nonconforming app icons inside an ugly gray box of shame. The change seems to affect the Mac user experience more than it impacts the app developer. It makes the actual icon 20% smaller and 80% harder to recognize.
A great thing about the Mac, though, is the ability to customize app icons. This can be a temporary solution. You just need to track down an app icon that works. Here’s how to swap out app icons on macOS Tahoe and avoid the gray box effect.
Expand Expanding CloseApple acing its latest tech stack takeover is great news for the iPhone 17 Air

It’s been nearly six months since Apple changed a crucial piece of technology inside the iPhone. This timeline is great news for the all-new iPhone 17 Air coming in just a few short weeks.
Expand Expanding CloseHere’s everything OpenAI announced at its GPT-5 event

During an uncharacteristically long video stream yesterday, OpenAI announced GPT-5, alongside a series of interface and usability improvements to its chatbot. Here’s everything new with ChatGPT.
Expand Expanding CloseHere’s when ChatGPT integration within Apple Intelligence will use GPT-5

Earlier today, OpenAI announced GPT-5, its latest model to power ChatGPT. The new frontier model is a significant leap forward in a lot of areas. But when will ChatGPT integration within Apple Intelligence adopt it? That’s actually happening rather soon…
Expand Expanding CloseIntel’s CEO Lip-Bu Tan under fire amid Washington backlash and board friction

When Lip-Bu Tan took over as Intel’s CEO last March, the market reacted with a 13% stock bump, signaling renewed confidence in the company’s future. But today, after weeks of internal tensions, Intel’s situation has grown even more delicate, now drawing scrutiny from the White House.
Expand Expanding CloseThree new ways to customize your macOS Tahoe 26

9to5Mac is brought to you by CleanMyMac: Tidy up your Mac and iPhone today! Try 7 days free and use our code 9TO5MAC15 for 15% off. Also check out CleanMyPhone for your iPhone!
macOS Tahoe 26 gives your Mac a significant redesign, headlined by the new Liquid Glass design language. The update also brings new ways to personalize your Mac, with new icon tinting features, menu bar customization, and more.
Here’s how these new customization options work.
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The Dia browser now offers a $20/month subscription plan
The Browser Company has announced a subscription plan for Dia, its new AI-powered browser. Here are the details.
Expand Expanding CloseLotus is the latest carmaker to upgrade CarPlay

British sports car maker Lotus is upgrading the CarPlay experience for iPhone users this week with a free software update.
Expand Expanding CloseDaVinci Resolve has new immersive tools for spatial video editing

Today, Blackmagic Design announced a major update to DaVinci Resolve Studio, with extended support for editing spatial videos captured with its immersive camera. Here’s what’s new.
Expand Expanding CloseApple’s F1 film helped drive Formula One Group’s top-speed revenue growth

The F1 movie isn’t just a hit for Apple. The Formula One Group credits Apple in part for its recent revenue boost.
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Apple Arcade just got four new games, including Play-Doh World
As promised last month, Apple today released four new titles to Apple Arcade, adding to the catalog of over 200 ad-free games available to subscribers. Here’s what’s new.
Expand Expanding CloseApple Maps cycling directions expand to Hong Kong and Taiwan

When Apple first launched cycling directions on Apple Maps, the feature was limited to a handful of cities like New York and Beijing. Since then, Apple has gradually expanded coverage. Now, cycling directions are also available in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Expand Expanding CloseHere’s everything new for Apple Wallet in iOS 26

Apple Wallet, like every other iOS 26 app, is getting some Liquid Glass UI changes this year. But iOS 26 is also an especially packed update for new features coming to Apple Wallet. Here’s what’s new.
Expand Expanding CloseRumor Replay: Apple Watch Ultra 3 screen size, iPhone 17 event date, more

This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: Apple Watch Ultra 3’s screen bump, iPhone 17 event date, curious case leaks, an OLED MacBook Pro, and more. Here are this week’s Apple rumors.
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